Stair-lift belt.



No. 685,1l5. Patented 0ct. 22, 190i.

1. m. DODGE.

' STAIR LIFT BELT.

(Appliealtion filed Mar. 9, 1901;,

(No Model.)

Improvements in Stair-Lift Belts, of which UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. DODGE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE STAIR LIFT COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY,A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

STAlR-LIFT BELT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 685,115, dated October 22, 1901.

Application filed March 9, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES M. DODGE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of the sections of the conveying-belt, which is formed into treads and risers, in a stair-lift or moving stairway.

My invention is based upon the patent granted to me on the 12th day of December, 1899, No. 639,154, in which a flexible belt made up of a series of links is flexed to form step-sections on the elevating-run of the conveyer and is flexed to pass around a headwheel. In this type of stair-lift it is de sirable to so construct the linked sections that they will be perfectly rigid to support the load on the carrying-run.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the series of links, illustrating my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of two of the links, and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are views of modifications.

A A are the links which make up the flexible conveying-belt. These links are in duplicate, with the exception of the links A A which are hung to the cross-bars or axles B B. The axles are so guided in ways, as fully set forth in the above-mentioned patent, as to form treads and risers on the carrying-run of the belt, and consequently the link-sections A A are so formed that one will overlap the other, preventing the formation of an open joint at the nose of the tread-section and at the junction of the inner edge of the treadsection and the riser. The links are pivoted together by pins 19, which extend through the downwardly-extending flanges a of each link, and each link has a lip at, which underlaps the edge a of the adjoining link, so as to close the joint between the two links.

In order to prevent the belt from yielding owing to the weight of a person when a step section is formed, as shown in Fig. 1, I extend an arm d below the pivot b at one end of one link and extend an arm (1 below the Serial No. 50,449. (No model.)

pivot at the opposite end of the link. The arm 01 has a projecting bearing-piece (1 while the arm d has outwardly-projecting bearing-pieces C1 The bearing-pieces d of one link rest back of the bearing-pieces d of the other link when the links are in line, as in Fig. 1, so that any downward pressure on the links will be taken by these projecting bearing-pieces below the pivots b, and consequently these bearing-pieces will resist the strain and hold the linked belt perfectly rigid while the load is being carried.

Fig. & shows another form of link, having the same depending arms 62 d, the shape of the body of the link being slightly diflierent from that shown in Fig. 1. It will be understood that the body of the link may be fiat without departing from the essential feature of the invention.

In some instances the arm 01 may have an inwardly -projecting bearing-piece resting against the arm (1, Fig. 5, and one arm may have an outwardly-projecting bearing-piece and the other an inwardly-projecting bearing-piece, as in Fig. 6, where an extended bearing is desired.

I claim as my invention-- 1. A link for an endless belt having a body portion, pivots at each end of the body portion, depending arms extending below each pivot, said arms having bearing-pieces so that when two or more of the links are connected together the rear bearing-piece of one link will rest back of the forward bearingpiece of the other link, substantially as described.

2. The combination of an endless belt made up of a series of links pivoted together, each link having a body portion and depending arms at each end, bearing-pieces on each arm so. arranged that the rear bearingpieces of one link will rest back of the forward bearing-pieces of the other link and re- I sist downward pressure upon the belt so as to keep the tread portion of the said belt rigid under pressure, substantially as described.

3. A link for an endless belt made of a single piece of metal having depending side flanges, openings in each flange at each end for the passage of the pivot-rods, and bearing-pieces at each end of the link below the piv0t-openings, the bearing-pieces at one end of the link extending laterally to bear against 5 the pieces of an adjoininglink, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my JAMES M. DODGE.

Witnesses:

WILL. A. BARR, J 0s. H. KLEIN. 

